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"Come on Newbridge Councillors represent your village! The decision to close the toilet facilities in the town is ridiculous, it is a complete disregard of public health. The Cerphilly Council could have saved at least £24,000 by reducing the allowances of the Councillors. As Gingwertom has says the Council should not have used our money to build a cinema in Bargoed. A cinema chain would have done that if the suppoprt for a cinema was there. It is eveident they do not spend the money they have available wisely. The residents of Newbridge should call for the resignation of its three Councillors. Perhaps they will resign in protest at this decision. I wonder?"

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PUBLIC toilet closures and replacing a leisure centre cafe with a "high quality" vending machine were cuts approved by a scrutiny committee.

The Caerphilly council committee met on Monday to discuss cuts to the authority's services and facilities as the council has to make savings of £14.53m in 2014/15 as a result of the UK Government’s austerity measures.

Further additional savings of £6.54m need to be made for 2015/16 and £7.06m for 2016/17, amounting to £28.13m over the next three years.

As part of the savings, members of the authority’s regeneration and environment scrutiny committee passed on a decision to close three public toilets, in Nelson, Newbridge and Fleur de Lys, saving £24,000.

The committee was also told that a petition had been signed by 190 residents opposing to the potential closure of Caerphilly Leisure Centre’s cafe, but members voted in favour of closing the cafeteria making a saving of £47,000 over two years, to be replaced by a “high-quality” vending machine.

The decisions will now be passed onto the cabinet.

A decision to introduce charges for garden waste collection with a projected saving of £80,000 was withdrawn by members.

The future of Aber Valley Splash Pad in Senghenydd Park, which faced a cutback of £6,000, is to be reviewed again after it was decided it would not be presented to the cabinet at this time.

Cllr John Taylor said claims the Splash Pad was installed against officers’ recommendations in 2006 were “totally misleading” and that relevant council meetings would show this.

He added: “We realise that the council has to save money but this would be a spiteful and mean cut targeted at the toddlers of the Aber Valley.

“They could make more of an annual saving if they cut the number of councillors in the council cabinet. Half the councils in Wales have fewer councillors in the cabinet than CCBC.”

It was also decided at a special meeting prior to the scrutiny committee that the council’s acting chief would remain in his post for a further six months.

A report presented to the cabinet recommended Stuart Rosser’s contract should be extended because of the “complexity” surrounding an investigation into two of the council’s top officers.

It added: “The previous 12 months have been a period of considerable turmoil for the authority and the ability to employ an experienced interim chief executive to provide leadership to the council has been invaluable.”

Mr Rosser took over as the authority’s interim chief executive on a six-month contract in July last year, following the suspension of Anthony O'Sullivan who was arrested on suspicion of fraud and misconduct in public office after huge pay rises were awarded to 21 senior officials at the authority.

Council leader Harry Andrews said Mr Rosser had done an “absolutely outstanding job” since taking up the post.

The decision to extend Mr Rosser’s contract will be subject a review by the council prior to the expiry of the six month period at its scheduled meeting of the July 22, if the interim arrangements are still in place at this date.